Art designed to 'bowl' you over

"Swirl #3" is an art-glass bowl by Laura Wellman, artist of the month at the Ferndale Arts Gallery. Bowls and other pieces of her work are on display at the gallery, open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 580 Main St. in Ferndale. "Swirl #3" is measures 12 inches wide by 1.75 inches deep, and Wellman says the bowls are food-safe and dishwasher-safe.

FERNDALE &GT;&GT; Laura Wellman, July's "artist of the month" at Ferndale Arts Gallery, is an Arcata-based artist who loves to immerse herself in the rich hues of dichroic glass. As she explains it, "this fusible glass contains multiple micro-layers of metal oxides, which give the glass unique optical properties. Created in a vacuum chamber, these ultra-thin layers result in eye-catching colors. Dichroic glass was originally created for use in the space industry to layer windows and mirrors."

Having created jewelry and accessories for the last eight years, Wellman was ready to try something new. The result is her "Arcata Art Bowls" series, each one colorfully unique.

"The 12-inch bowl format gives me the freedom to create abstracts, landscapes, and representative designs," said Wellman. "I start with a thick, clear disc of glass and go from there. Basically I 'paint' with frit (crushed glass). Sometimes I use pieces from my black-backed mosaic designs for added texture and color (an example of this is seen in the accompanying photo)."

Her pieces can be treasured as art alone or used in the kitchen, since the bowls are food and dishwasher safe. Wellman says her "bowls are priced affordably as well."

In addition to bowls, Wellman also creates pendants, earrings and accessories such as purse hangers and letter openers. A full range of her designs is on display at Ferndale Arts Gallery, located at 580 Main St. The fine-arts gallery is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be reached at 786-9634, or visit the cooperative gallery, which has 20 local artists as members, online at ferndaleartgallery.com or on Facebook.